TAMPA, Fla. – Curtis Granderson learned about the end of the Yankees’ outfield experiment last week, after he stopped into manager Joe Girardi’s office. Granderson, his broken right forearm still in a cast, came to tell Girardi he was going home for Monday’s off-day. Girardi shipped him out with a piece of news that cheered Granderson.

“He goes, ‘OK, cool. Just so you know, then you come back, you’ll be in center,’” Granderson said. “I went ‘Oh. OK.’ That was the quickness of the conversation. That was it. And then I heard about it from everybody else.

“People were asking me what I thought about it. Actually, we talked about it for literally five seconds.”

As the team fiddled with their outfield configuration, shifting Granderson to left and Brett Gardner to center, Granderson refused to reveal any frustration. But his preference was clear. He wanted to remain in center. Now, once he returns in May, he will be able to do just that.

The Yankees ceased their tinkering because Granderson will not have the spring to acclimate to a corner outfield position. They consider if unfair to toss him into a new spot after only seeing time in a few rehab games.

“I would have to do it down here,” he said. “But at the same time, like I said, I want to go back to center. I’m excited that’s the news . . . I would rather go there. If they said they needed to [switch], obviously, we would entertain it. but I’m excited to get back to center.”

How many games Granderson will actually need is an interesting question. He does not know.

“I’ve got to see pitching,” Granderson said. “That’s the tough part. If I had seen some pitching, outside of the five pitches I saw, that would change a lot of this stuff. That one I’m not sure if I’ll be able answer right now. I’ll probably have to wait until I start swinging.

“Because even when I start swinging, I’ll probably be max volume in terms of the cage, batting practice, the machine. But it’s still not the game. Man, you figure even if I play a normal, nine-inning game, I may only get three or four at-bats. I’m going to be safe to say at least five [games]. But I honestly don’t know. I’ll be able to give you a better answer probably once we start playing, I guess.”

For now, Granderson was happy to resume physical activity on Wednesday. The team cleared him to ride a stationary bike. He could lift with his left arm, his abdominal muscles or his legs. He was not allowed to play on the field.

“I asked them could I go on the field,” he said. “And they said, ‘No, we don’t want you to fall. We’re not going to let you get out on the field yet.’ So they don’t trust that I can get out there without slipping and falling.”